Well, That’s Amazing
Came across this video of the World's Longest Basketball shot. It's pretty awesome:
First off, how'd he make that? Second of all, how good must that guy be at H-O-R-S-E? He's an unfair opponent. Crazy.
Thanks for returning to The Blog of Champions!
Usain Bolt Is Not Human
Usain Bolt ran the 100 meter dash today. He ran it 9.58 seconds. A world record. Watch the video:
Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.
The amazing part is that he slowed down at the end! Bolt is incredible. He doesn't seem human. Amazing. I don't know how anyone could be that fast. Wow.
My Ultimate Sports Fantasies
ESPN is doing a cool feature called "Fan Feast", where ESPN personalities give us their ultimate sports fantasies. With that in mind, I thought I would give you my top 5 Ultimate Sports Fantasies: (in descending order)
5. Throw out the first pitch
I'm not immune to the pressure of throwing out the first pitch. 45,000+ fans staring down at you, ready to boo you if you miss. However, how cool would it be to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, do as Presidents, celebrities, dignitaries, and heroes have done.
4. Participate in the Home Run Derby
I don't think I can hit a home run. But, I would love to try in the Home Run Derby. One of baseball's most exciting events, participating in the Home Run Derby would allow me to give the chance to try and finally hit a home run (Aside: I hit one home run in Little League. But it didn't clear the fence. I hit it down the right field line. In a normal game, it would be a single, maybe a double if I really hustled. But, since this is Little League, routine plays were never routine. After a bunch of errors, I finally touched home plate. Tremendous feeling. I think it would be better to actually hit one out).
3. Going to a Soccer game in Europe
Soccer isn't very big in the US. Most Americans are casual fans. But in Europe futbol is king. Crowds go crazy for their teams, and there are usually 100,000 people, half rooting for one team, half rooting for the other. Both halves hate each other. Riots are often incited. The atmosphere looks incredible, unmatched by any other sports event.
2. Hold my country's flag in the Opening Ceremony
I realize this could never, ever happen. I'm not nearly athletic or important enough to have this honor bestowed upon me. But, the Opening Ceremony at the Olympics is one of the only times that the world can come together, put aside all differences, and appreciate athletic ability. Holding the flag is one of the greatest honors an athlete could have. They have to represent their country with honor, dignity. I could only hope that I would have a chance to represent my country, whether it's in the Olympics or not.
1. Touch the Stanley Cup
Watching players lift the Stanley Cup after winning is one of my favorite traditions in sport. Players, after a grueling three month journey, can finally hold sports greatest trophy. They are reverted back to little boys, their excitement and joy of winning only matched by holding this historic trophy. I'm a die-hard Rangers fan. There has only been one Stanely Cup title in my lifetime (1994). If they win again, I want to touch the Cup, even if it's only for a second. I want to touch the same trophy that has been passed down from generation to generation, from hockey player to hockey player. It's the ultimate trophy after winning the ultimate championship, and it's my ultimate sports fantasy.
Those are mine. What are yours?
Canadian College Joins NCAA
For the first time ever, a Canadian College has been allowed to join the NCAA. The college, Simon Fraser, was granted entrance into the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, a Division II conference. I think that that's quite interesting. I wonder if more Canadian colleges will join the NCAA. I don't know how good the teams at Simon Fraser are. I don't know how competitive they will be. But, it's nice to see the NCAA reaching outside the US for more schools. I hope more colleges will follow suit.
Let’s Not Get Too Excited About Lance Armstrong–Yet
Day 3 of the Tour de France has ended, and look who's climbing up the leader board: Lance Armstrong. Armstrong is now in second place, just fractions of a second behind the leader. After a four year break, Armstrong seems to be back in full form. But hold on a minute. There are 23 days in the Tour de France. We're at Day 3. Let's not get too excited. If Armstrong is where is he by day 18, then I'll be interested. I only watch cycling for the Tour de France, and even then I barely watch. If Armstrong wins, it'll be great. We can crown him as one of the greatest athletes ever. We can celebrate him. But now, only 3 days in? Let's wait. Let's wait just a little bit.
Iowa High School Football Coach Shot, Killed
Ed Thomas, football coach at Aplington-Parkersburg High in Parkersburg, Iowa, 2005 High School Coach of the Year, was shot and killed. The lead suspect is a former player under Thomas. Thomas was 58. High School coaches and teachers can often have a profound impact on who we are, and can be positive influences on us. Ed Thomas was that kind of guy. His program produced 4 NFL players, Casey Wiegmann of the Denver Broncos; Jared DeVries of the Detroit Lions; Brad Meester of the Jacksonville Jaguars; and Aaron Kampman of the Green Bay Packers. All had tremendous things to say about Thomas:
"[Thomas] has done so much for me personally and professionally just as well as he's done for everybody that's gone through there," Meester said in a statement. "One of the big things he's done for everybody, it's not so much the Xs and Os that he taught us about football but it's the stuff that he taught us that pertains to real life, it's about being men, that has meant so much. He taught us so many things. He taught us things like hard work, just taking pride in what we do and the value of family. He treated each and every one of us like we were his kids."
"Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities," Kampman said in a statement. "His legacy for many will be associated with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his greatest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He lived his life trying to exemplify this faith and convey those values to those under his influence."
I'm not sure of the motives of the killer; I don't know if we can ever be sure. It does seem that there is something off with the killer, and maybe that explains it. I don't know. But, I've said it on the blog before, and it's a question that may seem naive, but it's so complicated: Why do bad things happen to good people? It may seem like a question a 5 year old would ask, but if it was, why hasn't it been answered. It doesn't make sense. If you do good things, you should be rewarded, not killed. If you do bad things, you should be punished. It's simple. Yet, it never seems to happen that way. It never seems to go the way we all thought it would. Ed Thomas seems like a great coach, but an even better person, who has shaped the lives of many young men. And now he gets killed. The logic doesn't make sense to me, and I fear it never will. While Brian Grant is fighting Parkinson's, while Nick Adenheart gets killed after the best start of his young career, while Ed Thomas is being shot, bad guys are getting away with murder. So tell me this: What are the people living a good life doing wrong, and what can we do to fix it. I'm tired of hearing stories like this, much like I'm tired of hearing PacMan Jones getting opportunity after opportunity. Eventually, I believe, this stuff balances itself out. As for now, however, I'm left searching for something that I don't even know exists. RIP, Ed Thomas.
Jim Brown Attacks Tiger and Jordan For Not Being Social Activists
Jim Brown, one of the best running backs of all time, is coming after Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan for not being social activists. He had this to say to Bryant Gumbel on Real Sports (Bill Russell also chimes in):
Brown: “There are one or two individuals in this country that are black that have been put in front of us as an example. But they're basically under a system that says, ‘Hey, they're not gonna do a certain thing.’ Yes, that disappoints me because I know they both know better.”
Gumbel: “Tiger and Michael?”
Brown: “ Yeah, I know they both know better, OK. And I know they both can do better without hurting themselves.”
Brown: “You know what’s so interesting about Tiger to me? If it was just a matter of me looking at an individual that's a monster competitor, this cat is a mamajama; he is a killer. He'll run over you, he'll kick your ass. But as an individual for social change, or any of that kind of ----? Terrible. Terrible. Because he can get away with teaching kids to play golf, and that's his contribution. And in the real world, man, I can't teach no kids to play golf and that's my contribution, if I got that kind of power.”
Russell: “We’re losing a whole generation of kids. And, I for one, would not give up on them. And Jim will not give up on them because we know that when we were kids, there were certain influences that made our lives livable.”
Gumbel: “Why did you choose to get so intimately involved with helping young black men who were engaged in gang warfare?”
Brown: “Because simply, it’s the most devastating culture to come along that affects black people in a long time. How can we act like we don’t see young black men killing each other? Rome is burning and so there can be no education, there can be no economic development, there can be no family structure. There can be nothing as long as we allow this particular culture to exist.
This discussion brings up many questions. One, should athletes be used for social change? Is their role as players meant for advocating for human/civil rights, or are they meant to just play? What is their best role? I believe that they should do both. They play, obviously, but they have this platform from which to speak from. They have kids who look up to them, listen to them, worship them. If they don't use it, they're cheating the world, because it could be a better place. However, and this is where I disagree with Jim Brown, you have to be comfortable in that role. You have to be able to a star on the field and off, and for some, like Tiger and Jordan, they just aren't comfortable. There's not always going to be the athlete who is both great on the field, and has the charisma to bring about social change off it. Who is that player? I don't know. The name that comes to mind is LeBron James. He is great on the court, and seems to have an affable personality off it. Tiger and Jordan, they don't necessarily have it. But if a player has the ability, they should speak out on what they believe is right.
Mike Tyson’s Daughter Dies
In tragic news from a couple of days ago, boxer Mike Tyson's daughter died. Apparently, her neck got caught in a cord from a treadmill. She was 4. Mike Tyson has had a lot of struggles in his life, a lot of ups and downs. He was a heavyweight champion. He's had numerous criminal charges, bit Evander Holyfield's ear. He went from the top of his sport to the bottom. But, it still seems unfair that he has to go through this. It seems unfair that the universe is punishing him with the death of his 4 year old daughter. 4 years old, with her whole life in front of her, gone. 4 years old. We all remember the innocence we felt at 4 years old. We all remember the freedom we felt. Imagine that being taken away in an instant, gone, dead. If this is the universe's way of punishing Tyson, shame on the universe. Let him serve jail time. Don't take his daughter away from him. I talk a lot on this blog about why bad things happen to good guys. By all accounts, Mike Tyson is troubled. He's a criminal. But, never, never has he done anything to have his 4 year old daughter taken away from him. I don't know the extent of their relationship. I don't know if they were close or distant. 4 years old. Rest in peace, Exodus Tyson. You have done nothing to deserve this. Neither did your father.
Some Thoughts And Musings
Haven't had a lot of time to post this week, so I figured I'd give some thoughts and musings on what's going on in sports:
-What a shot by LeBron James. Under pressure, needing a win, he got it done. Can we now say he's the best player in the game? He has the clutch shot. If he wins a title, he will most definitely be the best player on the planet.
-Good for the Magic for being able to come back in both of these games. You can't help that LeBron hit that shot. They should be very confident heading back to Orlando.
-Carmelo Anthony does not get the credit he deserves for being such a good player. He's taken this Denver team to new heights. A lot of people, myself included, were all Lakers all the time. I think that the Nuggets have a great chance of winning this series. They are playing outstanding defense, getting clutch baskets. You have to love the way they are playing.
-It's amazing how a point guard can change a team. With the Iverson-Billups swap, Denver has become a title contender, while Detroit went to fighting for the playoffs. When you have a steady point guard, you can go a long way. Mo Williams has had the same effect in Cleveland. To a lesser extent, Chris Duhon was that way in New York. Steady point guard play can make all the difference in the NBA.
-I'm shocked the Hurricanes are down 3-0. I really thought they could go all the way. Eric Staal is a monster, while Cam Ward is a hot goalie. But Sidney Crosby, and especially Evegeni Malkin have been spectacular. And sometimes you can't stop that.
-Chicago got a bad break with Havlat and Khabibulin out. They had some momentum after winning game 3.
-Yankees have an 'it' factor about them, winning so many games from behind. It speaks to their character.
-I just saw Milk this afternoon. Terrific movie. Sean Penn was outstanding and deserving of his Oscar.
-Have a great Memorial Day Weekend
Thoughts on A-Rod
So I finally saw the full admission video. I had my cousin, a die-hard Yankee hater, ripping on A-Rod for seeming fake, manufactured, a liar. I had my good friend, a die-hard Yankee fan, find it sincere and thoughtful. So where does that leave me? As a Yankee fan, it's hard to remain impartial. Partly because A-Rod is the key to winning a World Series. But also he's one of the players. I see him every day. I'm in the minority that likes him. So I see his apology, and I thought he did a great job. Sure, he could've been more specific on what drugs he actually took, and the Selena Roberts trespassing thing could haunt him if not true. Other than that, I found it to be sincere. I found it to be honest. I found it to be 'right'. Right because he admitted it. Right because he owned up to it. I like A-Rod. I think he's unfairly criticized in New York. I think he's a product of bad luck, and high expectations. I'm not excusing him for his steroid use. I'm not. Far from it. Steroids are a terrible thing. It ruined the purity of a game that was pure, the sanctity of a game that was sacred. It took the heart out a game that was full of it. But in this particular case, A-Rod did the right thing. He learned from the mistakes of Clemens and Bonds, and learned from the successes of Giambi and Pettite. Will A-Rod get booed? Yes. More so than usual? Yes. But he has a weight off his chest. A weight that, hopefully for Yankee fans, will lead to an awesome season. Luckily for A-Rod, this came out nine years before his contract ends. Nine years is a long time. Think about it this way: This millennium is barely nine years old. Seems longer, no? So in nine years time, we're onto the next crisis. His Hall-of-Fame status won't be affected. To sum up: A-Rod gets an 'A' in my book. You might not think that. You might think he looked like a squeamish fish. You might think he was lying thru his teeth. Whatever you think, he was right to admit it. Hopefully we can all move on.
